MYRTLE BEACH, SC.- Seventy-seven artists from around the region will vie for top honors and over $2000 in cash prizes in the Twelfth Annual Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild Juried Exhibition, opening Thursday, April 30, at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum.

A reception open to the public will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with awards presentations at 6:00. The exhibit continues through May 22, with gallery hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Up to 70 two-dimensional and three-dimensional works will be selected for jurying from 143 entries. Works selected for display include oil, watercolor, and mixed media paintings; photographs; wood, clay and steel sculptures; and an array of craft items such as batik, decorated gourds and mosaic tile work. With creations from artists throughout the Carolinas, the show is a perennially popular event with locals and visitors. A large percentage of the works on display will also be available for purchase.

Judge and juror for this year’s competition is Karen Watson, director of the Sumter County Gallery of Art in Sumter, SC. She will provide a descriptive tour of the exhibit at Thursday’s reception, offering insights on how the works were selected for inclusion in the exhibit and for prizes.

Cash awards to be given include the $800 Rebecca R. Bryan Best in Show Award, as well as First, Second and Third Place awards of $500, $275 and $100 respectively. An additional 10 works will also be selected for Honorable Mentions.

Also opening April 30 is Jack Thompson: The Wonder Years; Myrtle Beach Photographs from the ’50s and ’60s, which will remain on exhibit through Aug. 30.